Alaska Part 1: Sea day and Glacier Bay

A few weeks ago we returned from our trip to Alaska. It. was. incredible. Prior to leaving, I thought about it everyday, for months. It did not disappoint. I also vowed that nothing was going to ruin this vacation for me. Nothing. So despite having a horrible allergic rash covering half my body, and having to take Nell to the emergency vet the night before we left (She ran into a pole. Seriously. She was pretty banged up with a bloody nose and all. But she is ok.) I powered through and I'd say the trip went off without a hitch! It was hard to leave the kids. I may or may not have had a bit of a melt down as we were pulling out of the dock and I knew that I would be "unreachable" for a few days. They did great though, and I am so SO grateful to my mom for playing mom for the week. From melt-downs to pooping in the backyard, they gave her a run for her money. Everyone survived though and they are all still best of buddies.

We opted to drive to Seattle to save some cash. It is a long drive, but I didn't mind. It was super nice to not have to be constantly passing fruit snacks to the back, or singing songs to calm someone down, or pulling over to pee in the bushes because we were miles from the next rest stop (although we did almost have to do that once). I listened to a book, slept, took pictures of Nic sleeping, and just enjoyed the ride.

We got to Seattle Saturday evening. After asking around we found a great Thai food restaurant. It was yummy. Lloyd (Nic's dad) asked for a "2 out of 3" level of hotness and was literally sweating by the time dinner was over. It was pretty funny.

Sunday morning we headed over to Pike's Market. I had never been and wanted to squeeze it in before we got on the ship. I loved it. Flowers everywhere, food everywhere, music everywhere. Loved it.

We found a little shop run by an Austrian couple. Nic was able to get his favorite Austrian beverage and speak a bit of German.

There is this wall down one of the alleyways. There are thousands, nay, millions of pieces of gum stuck to it. Its gross and awesome at the same time.

Goofballs.

We grabbed some fresh cheese curds and mac 'n cheese from Beecher's. This macaroni was to die for. I seriously am still craving it.

Waiting to be taken to the ship. Somehow, quite mysteriously, we found one of our chip bags had a little hole nibbled in the bottom of it. We hadn't noticed it earlier on the trip and therefore thought we might come back to mouse infested car. Luckily no mice. We finally determined it must have been that way when we bought it from the gas station. Nasty. It was probably from the place that had 2 toilets in the same room. With no stalls or even a half wall for privacy. Just 2 toilets. Right next to each other. You'd have to be REALLY good friends to want to experience that together. My mother-in-law and I love each other, but not that much.

Waiting to board.

The ms Oosterdam.

Our first full day on the ship was a sea day. We went to the many activities they had on board including the kitchen tour and Tango lessons (surprisingly hard when on a rocking boat). That night was the first of two formal nights and it was really fun getting dressed up and having dinner then going to a show.

 

Victoria and me with the head chef.

Tango lessons. There were several times the ship would rock and everyone would go flying in one direction. The fact that these dancers can do this on a stage everyday is super impressive. The fact that Nic took these lessons with me is even more impressive. He was such a good sport.

Formal night in the dining room. Pretty sure I ordered two desserts every night.

I love this picture. I LOVE this picture. It cracks me up every time I see it.

Aw. Love these guys.

Day 2 we were in Glacier Bay National Park. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect (which is rare, we hear). A park ranger boarded our boat at the entrance to the park and later gave a lecture about the park. There are several glaciers in the park, some of which are often impossible to reach due to ice. We went to Marjorie glacier and attempted to get to Johns Hopkins, but the ice was too thick.

Holding our spot on the bow of the ship. The wind was chilly, but otherwise it really nice.

Marjorie glacier. We were able to see it calve. It made a impressive crack (like thunder) before a big chunk fell into the water. Awesome.

This thing was massive.

While we made our way to the Johns Hopkins glacier we decided to have dinner. The dinning room is at the back of the ship and every few minutes we could hear a crashing sound as the ship would be hitting the ice bergs. Pretty quick the captain decided to turn around. Probably a good idea. The whole voyage already had a bit of a Titanic feel ever since they announced that they were one life boat short. "It will be okay," they assured us. hmmmm.

Pictures don't do this place justice. It was beyond incredible.

Johns Hopkins glacier from afar.

I can't remember the name of this glacier.

Leaving the park.

Sun setting at midnight. (It would rise at 3:30 am).

The mountains went on forever. Behind those huge mountains in the back there were even more mountains. The mountain behind Marjorie glacier peaks at 15,000 feet. Considering the base of that mountain is pretty much sea level that is pretty incredible.

My love.

Stay tuned for Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria.